Lakeland teen captures the attention of Hollywood

LAKELAND, Minn. - A Lakeland teenager earning worldwide fame for his touching tribute to his friends and family now has the attention of Hollywood.

Zach Sobiech, 17, wrote and performed the song "Clouds" as a way to say farewell to his friends and family. Sobiech has osteosarcoma and is believed to have only months to live. The song now has more than 2 million hits on YouTube. Last month, Sobiech signed with music giant Broadcast Music Inc.

But this week, Sobiech is reaching new heights---with the attention of Hollywood. The creator and crew of "My Last Days," a show aired on the SoulPancake YouTube channel, are in town to document Sobiech's life.

"The video I'm going to be in is 'My Last Days,' which is about people who are terminal but who are actually, like, living, you know?" Sobiech told KARE 11 on Thursday.

"He's exactly what the show is about. It's about life. And the tagline is, you don't have to find out you're dying to start living," said show creator Justin Baldoni.

During the week-long visit, the "My Last Days" crew followed Sobiech at school, home and during surprise moments--- including when he met several Vikings players.

Sobiech and his family also talked via Skype with the SoulPancake creator, Rainn Wilson of NBC's The Office. And to top it all off, the show set up Sobiech with his 'dream car' for the week.

"A Nissan GTR, which is my favorite," Sobiech said.

But in the end, Sobiech said his latest experience simply offers him another opportunity to make a difference.

"The main thing I want to happen is just get to more people, give more people an opportunity to change," Sobiech said.

He added, "When humans are put in difficult situations, we somehow manage. And it's inspirational when you see that kind of thing. And that's where I'm at right now. If people can feed off that, that'd be amazing, and that's the goal."

Sobiech will appear in concert at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on Feb. 16. The event will be a fundraiser benefiting the Zach Sobiech Osteosarcoma Fund at Children's Cancer Research Fund. For more information about "Up, Up, Up. A concert for Zach," just go to: http://www.varsitytheater.org/

The "My Last Days" crew said several community "partners" also came forward to make the week possible, including the Country Inn and Suites in Woodbury; Houlihan's in Eagan; and The Daily Grind in Stillwater.

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